Shizune sat up, frowning slightly.
She felt an ache throughout her entire body.
That scoundral!
A trace of an indescribable emotion flashed through her eyes.
For some reason, she actually felt that sharing with Tsunade was the right choice.
At the same time, she couldn't help but feel a hint of admiration.
She could barely last half an hour before needing to retreat.
But Tsunade endured the entire night.
The gap between them was enormous.
Shizune sighed.
Maybe it was because she lacked the necessary talent, as she had never been able to master the Yin Seal.
A few minutes later, Shizune put on her clothes.
She left her room and headed to the living room, but neither Tsunade nor Shinho was there.
Were they still not up yet?
Her face flushed red as she hesitated for a few seconds before making her way to Tsunade's room.
She knocked softly.
The next second, the door opened on its own.
Shizune froze in place.
Shinho was inside, hugging Tsunade, waving at her with a grin.
Shizune quickly closed the door, flustered.
She took a deep breath.
The image of Tsunade's dazed expression popped into her mind.
Mature and enchanting.
No wonder that rascal was so drawn to her.
Shizune glanced down at herself.
The difference between them was... monumental.
She clutched her sleepwear tightly and tried to push away unnecessary comparisons.
…
"Do you have a death wish, you little brat?!"
As soon as Shizune left, Tsunade—half-concious—suddenly woke up.
She finally realized what had just happened.
Shizune had seen her in an undignified state.
Why had the door suddenly opened?
It was obvious, this was all Shinho's doing.
The sound of air slicing through rang out as Shinho dislodged, flipped mid-air and landed safely.
He cleared his throat and said, "Good morning, Sensei."
Of course, he had opened the door on purpose.
It was all part of his plan to help them gradually get used to each other.
When the time was right, the one-against-two scenario he dreamed of might finally become reality.
For now, enduring some consequences wasn't a big deal.
Tsunade was speechless, defeated by his shamelessness.
"Sensei."
Shinho picked up the clothes from the floor and offered, "Let me help you get dressed."
"I can dress myself!"
Tsunade got out of bed and snatched the clothes from him.
Shinho instinctively swallowed hard.
The sight before him was too overwhelming.
Tsunade noticed his reaction and the corners of her mouth curled upward.
"Someone's feeling restless again, huh?"
With that, she laughed and strode out.
Shinho's mouth twitched.
There was no helping it. His "little brother" would have to suffer for a while.
After all, he had enjoyed himself last night.
Shinho changed into his clothes and headed to the bathroom.
Tsunade was already washing up.
He waited by the door, taking the opportunity to admire the beauty before him.
As she brushed her teeth, she bent slightly, her hips curving perfectly, her long legs straight and toned.
Tsunade noticed his gaze but didn't seem to care.
When she finished brushing, she filled his cup with water and handed it to him.
"Thanks, Sensei."
Shinho said earnestly.
"It's nothing."
Tsunade grabbed a towel and started washing her face.
Her golden bangs got wet and clung to her skin.
Shinho reached out and gently brushed them aside.
With a soft surge of chakra, her hair dried instantly.
"If you stayed this obedient all the time, wouldn't that be great?"
Tsunade remarked with a trace of sentimentality.
"When have I ever not been obedient?"
Shinho asked, looking aggrieved.
Tsunade didn't bother answering his obvious acting and turned to leave the bathroom.
Breakfast was simple, with bread and milk.
Despite the awkwardness from last night, Shinho's smooth talking soon had the three of them back to normal.
After breakfast, Tsunade lay sprawled out on the couch, fully embracing her laziness.
She planned to rest for a while before heading to the casino for some fun.
Shinho washed the dishes and then headed to the Hokage's office with Shizune.
"Shinho."
Shizune stopped mid-step and said, "I've already assigned Iruka Umino to handle the academy matters."
"That's good."
Shinho nodded. "If any issues come up, let me know."
"Understood."
Shizune turned and walked to the office next door.
…
Shinho sat in the Hokage's chair and stretched.
Reflecting on last night, it still felt surreal.
There had been some hiccups, but things had gone unexpectedly well.
This is life, he thought.
He snapped out of his reverie and got to work.
There weren't many matters to handle today, just three important files.
Within an hour, he had finished all of them.
Folding his hands together, he became lost in thought.
Although he was confident about dealing with the Six Paths of Pain, when it came to Kaguya Otsutsuki, he wasn't as sure.
In other words, he needed to further increase his strength and gain more achievements.
The question was—who should he pick a fight with next?
Shinho subconsciously looked up at the sky.
It was time to take the fight to the moon!
Toneri Otsutsuki had stolen Hanabi's eyes in the movie and even tried to marry Hinata Hyuga.
Such an outcome was absolutely unacceptable to Shinho.
The saying goes: Strike first to gain the upper hand; hesitate, and you'll suffer the consequences.
Instead of waiting for Toneri to descend and cause trouble in Konoha, it was better to launch a counterattack on the moon.
Shinho stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Flying directly to the moon? Impossible, it was simply too far.
The only way was to find that special passage.
In the movie, the exact location wasn't mentioned.
But Shinho had a clear impression of it.
A snowy valley and an underground ravine engraved with massive sealing runes.
These two features stood out.
The location shouldn't be too far from Konoha, likely within the Land of Fire.
"Yugao-nee."
Shinho called out.
The door opened the next second.
But instead of Uzuki Yugao, a female ANBU ninja with the codename "Haru" stepped in.
"Lord Hokage."
Haru bowed slightly.
"Why is it you?"
Shinho asked with a hint of surprise. "Where's Yugao-nee?"
"She went to retrieve some intel. She should be back soon."
Haru paused before continuing, "The intel is from the capital of the Land of Fire."
"You're dismissed."
Shinho's mind stirred, he already had a guess as to what it was about.
"Understood."
Haru exited the Hokage's office and closed the door behind her.
…
About ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
"Lord Hokage."
Uzuki Yugao pushed the door open and entered. "Second Prince has agreed to cooperate with us."
"As expected."
Shinho wasn't surprised in the slightest.
"The Second Prince hopes we can send someone over as soon as possible."
Yugao continued, "He plans to make his move on the night of the First Prince's birthday celebration."
"He's even more impatient than we are."
Shinho chuckled.
"How should I respond to him?"
Yugao asked.
"Do as he wishes."
Shinho's eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Assign this task to Aunt Mikoto."
Yugao instinctively showed a look of surprise.
Logically, this should've been an ANBU mission.
But she didn't question his decision and nodded in agreement.
"One more thing."
Shinho continued, "This is of the utmost importance, mobilize all our ANBU and complete this as quickly as possible."
Yugao's heart skipped a beat.
It was the first time she had received such a directive from Shinho.
Was something big about to happen?
"We need to find a location."
Shinho described the defining features of the passage to the moon.
"Understood."
Even though Yugao was puzzled, she still perked up and gave it her full attention.
"And call Aunt Mikoto here on your way out."
Shinho waved his hand dismissively.
Yugao bowed slightly and then left the room.
…
She arrived at the Hokage assistants' office, raised her hand, and knocked on the door.
Nara Shikaku, Uchiha Mikoto, and Anko Mitarashi, Konoha's three Hokage assistants, turned to look at her.
They all knew that Uzuki Yugao was Shinho's personal ANBU guard.
Her appearance meant there was an assignment.
"Lady Mikoto, can you step out for a moment?"
Yugao spoke first.
Nara Shikaku shrugged and went back to work, this had nothing to do with him, after all.
"Is Shinho looking for me?"
Uchiha Mikoto walked over, her tone gentle.
It had been a while since she'd seen Shinho.
Even though their offices were close, she never dared to disturb him recklessly—after all, he was now the Hokage.
However, she often heard Sasuke mention him.
"Yes."
Yugao nodded.
"I'll head over now."
Mikoto's expression turned serious.
With a few steps, she arrived at the Hokage's office and adjusted her kimono before entering.
"Aunt Mikoto."
Shinho looked up at the sound of the knock.
"Shinho, it's been a while."
Mikoto greeted softly. "What do you need from me?"
"I want you to lead a team to the Land of Fire's capital to meet the Second Prince."
Shinho got straight to the point.
"The Second Prince?"
Mikoto blinked in surprise. "To help him become Daimyo?"
The death of the Land of Fire's Daimyo had thrown the nation into chaos, with the three princes fighting for power. As a Hokage assistant, she was naturally aware of the situation.
She hadn't expected Shinho to get involved.
He really was audacious.
But she was used to it by now.
"No."
Shinho shook his head. "We're going to kill them all."
"What?"
Mikoto's eyes widened in shock.
What kind of move was this?
Eliminate the entire Daimyo's family?
Wouldn't that plunge the Land of Fire into total chaos?
Wait!
A sudden realization struck Mikoto, sending chills through her body.
Why had Shinho chosen her for this task?
Because she was an Uchiha, capable of using the Sharingan.
Could it be that Shinho intended to secretly control the Land of Fire?
Influenced by the traditional mindset of shinobi, Mikoto still couldn't bring herself to imagine that Shinho's goal wasn't control, it was to become the Daimyo himself.
"The ones responsible for the assassination will be a rogue ninja organization, not Konoha."
Shinho left it at that.
Mikoto quickly grasped the hidden meaning behind his words.
But the implications of this plan still left her deeply shaken.
No shinobi had ever done something like this before.
If it succeeded, the shinobi world might change forever.
"I'll leave it to you, Aunt Mikoto."
Shinho smiled.
"Understood."
Mikoto took a deep breath. "I'll send people to the capital immediately."
She suppressed her inner shock and turned to leave.
…
On the third day, the First Prince's birthday.
Since he had already secured the Daimyo's position in advance, the celebration was held at the royal palace.
The hall was filled with guests.
The First Prince sat proudly at the head table, radiating smugness.
At that moment, his second brother suddenly stood up and walked toward him.
The First Prince looked at him in confusion—
—and then a sword pierced through his heart.
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